Two Columbia firefighters were hospitalized when a roof section collapsed during a predawn blaze

By Noah Feit
The State

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Two firefighters were injured while responding to a burning building early Thursday morning, according to the Columbia Fire Department.

The firefighters were hospitalized after being rescued from a business where part of the roof collapsed, the fire department said in a news release. The fire was called suspicious by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

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At about 2:20 a.m., firefighters responded to a fire at Dough Bar & Grill, which is by the intersection of Two Notch Road and Weir Road, according to the release. That’s in the Dentsville area of Richland County, near Exit 17 on Interstate 77.

Deputies were patrolling the area and were the first to notice smoke coming from Dough, which was closed at the time, and alerted the fire department, according to the sheriff’s department.

When they arrived, firefighters encountered flames coming from the rear of the building, and minutes after crews made their way into the building a portion of the roof collapsed, the fire department said.

Two firefighters were entrapped and a mayday for help was immediately called and more crews responded to the fire, according to the release.

One of the firefighters freed himself while other crews worked to free the second firefighter, the fire department said. Once freed, the second firefighter was able to walk out of the building, according to the release.

Both firefighters were taken to the hospital and have since been released. As a precaution, the rescued firefighter was taken to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia.

No other injuries were reported.

The fire was extinguished and its cause is being investigated by the Richland County Fire Marshal’s Office as well as the ATF , and the sheriff’s department. ATF is leading the investigation into the origin and cause of the fire, while the sheriff’s department is the primary agency investigating possible criminal activity.

Information about how long it took to put out the fire was not available, and there was no word if the damage to the building has it considered a total loss.

“We commend our 3rd Shift crews for their work last night during what was a very tense and difficult call,” the fire department said in the release.

Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call the sheriff’s department at 803-576-3000, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.

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